On Site Opera Presents PYGMALION, 6/17, 20-21

By: BWW News Desk Jun. 17, 2014

On Site Opera, which has garnered acclaim for immersive, site-specific productions, will perform Rameau's one-act Pygmalion in two unusual-and unusually apt-venues this summer, just before the 250th anniversary of the composer's death: Madame Tussauds New York, on June 17, and Lifestyle-Trimco Showroom, on June 20 & 21.

Rameau's 1748 acte de ballet is widely considered one of his greatest one-acts. In Ballot de Sovot's libretto, based on Ovid, the sculptor Pygmalion creates a statue to which he professes his love, and which he asks Venus to bring to life. L'Amour (Cupid) arrives to praise Pygmalion's artistry and faith in love, and animates the statue. The new production will dig deeper into the themes and lessons inherent in the myth.

Since celebrated director Eric Einhorn founded it less than two years ago, On Site Opera has done much to prove that exciting opera can happen outside the walls of a traditional theater. The company has garnered acclaim not only for the immersive, site-specific nature of its productions-Shostakovich's The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse at the Bronx Zoo and, most recently, Gershwin's Blue Monday at the Cotton Club in Harlem-but also for their rigor. Reviewing Tale, Steve Smith wrote in The New York Times that the production "enchanted audience members of all ages," and added, "connoisseurs, meanwhile, could hardly miss the seriousness and skill of the undertaking."

For Pygmalion, Einhorn and On Site have assembled a team of accomplished artists. Einhorn will direct a cast featuring tenor Marc Molomot (tenor) as Pygmalion, Emalie Savoy (soprano) as Cephise, Justine Aronson (soprano) as L'Amour and Ava Pine (soprano) as La Statue. Jennifer Peterson will conduct the instrumental ensemble New Vintage Baroque. The production includes choreography by Jordan Isadore and costume design by Candida K. Nichols.

The run of Pygmalion will begin with a gala performance Tuesday, June 17, 7:30pm at Madame Tussauds New York (234 W 42nd St., New York, NY 10036). Tickets, $100.00, include full admission to the wax attraction before the opera and a post-performance wine reception with the cast.

Performances will take place Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21 at 7:30pm at Lifestyle-Trimco Mannequin Showroom (152 West 25th St., New York, NY 10001). Tickets are $35.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.osopera.org or by phone at 1-888-71-TICKETS. Performances will run approximately 50 minutes.

On Site Opera is growing toward year-round programming. With the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, the company is co-producing a workshop of the new opera Clarimonde, from composer Fre?de?ric Chaslin and librettist P.H. Fisher. A work-in-progress presentation will be held on August 2 in the gothic sanctuary of St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church (109 Main St, Phoenicia, NY 12464). The opera is an adaptation of La Morte Amoureuse by The?ophile Gautier in the genre of the conte fantastique where science fiction, fantasy and magic realism merge. Chaslin himself will conduct and Einhorn will direct a cast including Alyson Cambridge (soprano) as Clarimonde, Aaron Blake (tenor) as Romualdo, Louis Otey (baritone) as Bishop Serapion and Clayton Mathews (bass-baritone) as The Maker. For tickets and more information: www.osopera.org.

About the Pygmalion Performers

Marc Molomot (Pygmalion), possessed of a rare high-tenor (haute-contre), is best known for appearances with early music ensembles, and with conductors including William Christie, John Eliot Gardiner, Nicholas McGegan, and Andrew Parrott. He also ventures regularly into other repertoire including Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Auber's 1830 opera Fra Diavolo, the title role in Britten's Albert Herring, the protagonist in Ziporyn's 2009 A House in Bali, and a leading role in Singier's 2011 Chat perché, which premiered at Paris' Amphithéâtre Bastille. Molomot's comedic gifts have been showcased in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea (Les Arts Florissants and William Christie); Offenbach's Les brigands (Opéra Toulon and Paris's Opéra Comique with François-Xavier Roth), and Poulenc's Les mamelles de Tirésias (Opéra de Lyon and Opéra Comique with Ludovic Morlot). Concert appearances have included the U.S. premiere of Dov Seltzer's Lament to Yitzhak with the New York Philharmonic, Orff's Carmina Burana and Berg's Wozzeck with the Houston Symphony, and the Evangelist in Bach's St. John and St. Matthew Passions, most recently with Andrew Parrott in New York, Kraków, Tel Aviv, and Trondheim, Norway. Molomot's recording of Lully's Thésée with the Boston Early Music Festival was nominated for a Grammy. http://schwalbeandpartners.com/project/marc-molomot-tenor/

The Brooklyn-based soprano Justine Aronson (L'Amour) is known for her versatility encompassing operatic, concert, and contemporary repertoire. Justine has appeared as a soloist with The Bard Music Festival, Princeton Pro Musica, Reno Kantorei, The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, The Masterwork Chorale and the Westminster Summer Festival, and has premiered new music extensively, including Daron Hagen's After Words, Aaron Jay Kernis's Feng Shui for your new home, Thomas Pasatieri's I hear America singing, Benjamin C.S. Boyle's Folksongs from another world, Curt Caccioppo's Vespero della beata Virgine, and Philip Rice's The Sleepers and Chrysalis. Roles include Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande, Despina in Così fan tutte, Yum Yum in The Mikado, Monica in The Medium, and Nuria in Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar.www.justinearonson.com

American soprano Emalie Savoy (Cephise) made her Metropolitan Opera debut during the 2011-2012 season as Kristina in Leoš Janá?ek's The Makropulos Case. Recent engagements include the role of Countess Ceprano in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Verdi's Rigoletto (broadcast as part of the Met's Live in HD series and released on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon); a radio broadcast performance of Mozart's Bella mia fiamma with the Munich Radio Orchestra in Neumarkt, Germany; a performance of Hugo Wolf's Mignon Lieder at Steingraeber & Söhne in Bayreuth, Germany; featured soprano soloist at the 2013 Manchester Music Festival in Manchester, Vermont; soprano soloist in Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, conducted by Maestro Kent Tritle with the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall; a duo recital with tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and pianist Ken Noda at The Morgan Library and Museum, as a result of being named a 2011 George London Foundation Grand Prize recipient; and the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte, conducted by Maestro Alan Gilbert in a co-production between the Lindemann Young Artist Program and The Juilliard School. Highlights of Ms. Savoy's 2013-14 season include a return to the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for their production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and a performance at Weill Recital Hall with pianist Natalia Katyukova as part of Carnegie Hall's Discovery Day: Benjamin Britten.www.savoymusic.net

Soprano Ava Pine (La Statue), a native of Texas, continues to dazzle audiences and critics with her vocalism and commitment to character. She is equally at home with opera, oratorio and recital, and accomplished in works ranging from baroque to contemporary. During the 2013-14 season, Ava returns to Florentine Opera as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare and to Fort Worth Opera as Anna Sørensen in Puts' Silent Night, and debuts with Kentucky Opera as Gounod's Juliette and Tulsa Opera as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. This season on the concert stage, she joins the San Luis Obispo Symphony for Golijov's Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra, returns to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas Celebration, as well as Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for Mendelssohn's Elijah. www.avapine.com

New Vintage Baroque is an instrumental ensemble that explores the intersection of music, song, and story. Fusing together new commissions with music of the high Baroque, New Vintage weaves together verses, arias, and instrumental pieces to explore themes and characters through new perspectives. www.newvintagebaroque.com

About the Pygmalion Creative Team

Jennifer Peterson (Conductor) is the director of operamission, a new arts organization which is bringing opera, chamber music, art song and cabaret to audiences in the lobby of the Gershwin Hotel in the New York City's Flatiron in inventive new ways, as in its laboratory-style presentation Puccini's La Bohème: Assembly Required a chronological cabaret of Kurt Weill's vocal music, an up-close and live-streamed production of Schubert's Winterreise with tenor Adam Klein, a radio-style presentation of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire paired with Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat, several operatic world premieres, and the ongoing series, 'HANDEL at the Gershwin,' presenting G.F. Handel's magnificent London operas on historical instruments.

Ms. Peterson has appeared at over fifty opera companies in the United States and internationally, including the New York City Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel. Having received her musical training at the Oberlin College-Conservatory of Music, the Indiana University School of Music, and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she co-founded the Rochester Chamber Opera. Ms. Peterson has also been actively involved in historical performance as a harpsichordist and chamber musician. www.operamission.com

Eric Einhorn (Director, Pygmalion; Founder and Artistic Director, On Site Opera) been praised by The Austin Chronicle as "a rising star in the opera world" and by Opera News for his "keen eye for detail and character insight." He is the founder of On Site Opera, a company dedicated to immersive, site- specific productions. Mr. Einhorn has directed productions for Chicago Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Florentine Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Utah Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, the Pacific Symphony, and Gotham Chamber Opera. He has been a member of the stage directing staff at the Metropolitan Opera since 2005. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named Mr. Einhorn's production of Dialogues des Carme?lites for Pittsburgh Opera one of the top ten classical music performances of 2011. He originally created the production for Austin Lyric Opera in 2009 and was awarded "Best Opera" at the Austin Critics' Table Awards in addition to garnering him a nomination for "Best Director."

Upcoming engagements include a new production of Giulio Cesare for Florentine Opera, a staging of Carmina Burana for the Pacific Symphony, and directing the revival of La Cenerentola at the Metropolitan Opera. www.osopera.org

Jordan Isadore (Choreographer) is a dancer and choreographer who has worked with Christopher Williams, Gallim Dance, Skybetter & Associates, Jennifer Edwards and, most recently, Shen Wei Dance Arts. In addition to working with these choreographers Isadore is one of the creators and editors of the blog saradujour.com, where he and San Francisco based artist Nicole Bridgens remix contemporary dance, pop culture and dance history through a satirical lens. http://jordanisadore.blogspot.com/

Candida K. Nichols (Costume Designer) is a designer and photographer based in NYC. Credits include work for Lincoln Center Theater/Institute, NAATCO, Gotham Chamber Opera, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and Perseverance Theater, among many others. Awards include the Hay Design Fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Roy Crane Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement. Candida is a member of the Theater Mitu (USA & UAE), whose work focuses on research and training of world performance traditions. www.candidaknichols.com.

About On Site Opera

Founded in 2012, On Site Opera is dedicated to producing site-specific opera in non-traditional venues throughout New York. On Site Opera molds its productions to specific locations using physical space to create an environment in which the concept, storytelling, music, and performers unite to form an immersive, cohesive, and meaningful whole. Praised by BBC News as "innovative" and by The New York Times for their "seductive" productions, On Site Opera has presented Shostakovich at The Bronx Zoo and Gershwin at Harlem's legendary Cotton Club.

In addition to site-specific productions, On Site Opera's mission includes forging community partnerships in order to bring opera to new and underserved audiences, as well as fostering the development of emerging talent through performance and production opportunities. On Site Opera, a registered 501(c)(3), is a member of Opera America and the New York Opera Alliance. More information: www.osopera.org

About Madame Tussauds New York

Madame Tussauds New York is the interactive "must do" attraction, providing guests with unique opportunities to create memories with some of the world's biggest icons. Prominently located in the heart of Times Square, Madame Tussauds New York is open 365 days a year at 10 a.m. Visit www.madametussauds.com/newyork or call (212) 512-9600 for more information.

About Lifestyle Trimco

Lifestyle/Trimco/Viaggio and Almax recently merged to form the Global Visual Group. The company's offerings include mannequins, forms, specialty fixtures, fabric applications, seasonal trim and holiday décor. Global Visual Group has showrooms in New York, Milan, Paris, Shanghai and Toronto; production plants in New York, Shanghai, and Milan; and global warehousing and distribution. The company's 6,000-square-foot showroom in the heart of NYC's fashion district has played host to a variety of events including Miss America at NYC Fashion Week, Young and Powerful for Obama, Hale Bob at NYC Fashion Week, a cocktail event for the Real Housewives of NYC, and The BEX NYC preview.

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On Site Opera Presents PYGMALION, 6/17, 20-21

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